Gardens can be a haven for wildlife and gardeners have an important job to do when it comes to protecting pollinators which have seen serious decline in numbers over the years.
That job is to keep offering a rich environment for pollinators.
The plight of the humble bee has been well documented over the years but it’s not just bees that need our help. Insects like hoverflies, butterflies and even the unpopular wasp all need our help to survive.
The stark reality is that, without pollinators to pollinate our plants, we face a bleak future that will have implications for food production, gardens and biodiversity as a whole.
If you haven’t seen it, the popular, family-friendly film Bee Movie does a great job of showing us where we’d be without pollinators!
Without going into too much detail, there are many reasons for the decline in pollinators.
Climate change, loss of habitat and pesticides are probably the three primary causes. In turn these effect other things like the availability of nesting and breeding sites.
The great news is that your garden has the potential to makea real difference!
With the right type of plants you can create a wonderfulecosystem in your garden providing food and nesting sites for pollinators to make use of.
The list of plants that encourage pollinators is almost endless. Happily the RHS has split that list into three subtypes which you can download here.
You don’t need lots of space to do your bit for the pollinator population – even well planted pots on a window ledge or balcony will make a difference. You need to plant a mix of species rich in pollen and nectar that flower throughout the year so that when one plant finishes flowering,there’s something else waiting to take its place.
A mix of flower sizes will help provide food for a wider range of pollinators. They don’t just love ornamental flowers either. Fruit, veg and even herbs are all great for attracting and feeding pollinators.
There are other ways you can help pollinators to thrive in your garden.
These include allowing the odd weed to take its place in your lawn, providing shallow water sources for them to drink and ditching pesticides in favour of pollinator friendly pest protection.
You can read more tips in my article here.
If you’d like to read more about the kind of plants that will encourage pollinators to your garden, or how to create the perfect place for bees to nest, take a look at some of these links.
To discuss designing a pollinator-friendly garden, call Claire on 023 8063 2600 or email.